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Bioreactor design

Aeration systems for bioprocesses

Vogelbusch has a wide array of aeration systems and stirring fermenters for biotech applications.

One of the criteria for system selection is the oxygen transfer rate (OTR = kg O2/m³.h):

 

OTR	VB SYSTEM
1 - 3	Self-priming IP-8 system
2 - 3,5	Bubble column
3,6 - 4,1	High efficiency aeration
4 - 12	IZ Deep Jet aeration

 

OTR is only one of a number of relevant measures of the performance of an aerobic bioreactor. Others include foam generation, cleaning and shear stress.

Another yardstick is aeration efficiency, i.e. energy consumption per output volume. This can vary widely. For instance, the performance of air-lift fermenter depends on such simple design parameters as column height and air through-flow velocity.

Some processes require a special aeration system. Others, such as a yeast production, are relatively flexible, and system selection is according to performance. Variables such as production capacity, energy costs and climate conditions are taken into consideration.

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